UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA        AGRICULTURAL    EXPERIMENT    STATION 

~~.     .    !-««•-•      ,-Nr-      *~r,,~.  .,    -^.  .r,r-  BENJ.     IDE     WHEELER,     PRESIDENT 

COLLEGE    OF  AGRICULTURE 

THOMAS    FORSYTH     HUNT,    Dean   and   Director 

I  BERKELEY  H'    E'   VAN    NORMAN-   Vice-director   and    Dean 

University    Farm    School 


CIRCULAR  No.  118 

June,  1914 


THE  COUNTY  FARM  BUREAU 


By  B.  H.  CROCHERON 


THE  FUNCTION  OF  THE  FARM  BUREAU 

A  farm  bureau  is  an  organization  of  farmers  and  ranchers  who 
combine  to  promote  agriculture  through  co-operative  study  of  farm 
conditions. 

For  many  years  there  have  been  farmers'  clubs,  granges,  institutes, 
unions,  and  alliances.  These  have  been  more  or  less  successful  but 
many  have  passed  away,  perhaps  from  lack  of  usefulness.  Some  of 
these  organizations  have  not  had  a  definite  purpose  and  have  therefore 
failed  to  find  a  permanent  place  in  rural  affairs. 

The  farm  bureau  is  distinct  from  all  of  these.  It  is  not  primarily 
a  social  organization;  neither  is  it  essentially  to  unite  farmers  so  as 
to  lower  prices  of  stuffs  bought  and  to  raise  prices  of  products  sold. 
But  it  is  formed  to  bring  together  for  mutual  co-operation  those 
farmers  who  want  to  investigate  the  fundamental  problems  that  are 
involved  in  production  on  their  farms. 

Every  state  and  territory  has  at  least  one  "experiment  farm" 
supported  by  federal  and  state  funds.  These  have  been  exceedingly 
valuable  because  the  results  therefrom  were  noted  by  men  whose  busi- 
ness and  interest  it  was  to  observe.  The  acreages  of  these  farms  were 
small;  their  crops  were  often  meagre — and  yet  they  have  been  worth 
millions  beyond  their  cost  because  the  records  of  productions  and  the 
conditions  under  which  they  were  grown  were  known  and  noted. 

Many  of  our  farm  problems  are  already  solved  on  the  farms  of  the 
nation.  Individuals  have  found  the  solution  of  vexing  questions  that 
are  agitating  the  experiment  stations  and  agricultural  colleges.  But 
these  solutions  usually  fall  out  of  sight  unnoted  or  are  known  only 


to  the  man  on  whose  farm  they  occur.  If  these  unknown  and  unnoted 
experiments  could  be  gathered  they  would  at  once  add  much  to  our 
view  of  agriculture. 

In  America  there  are  on  the  average  more  than  100,000  farms  to 
each  "experiment  farm."     Obviously,  if  the  results  on  some  small 


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The  farm  bureau  is  composed  of  those  persons  in  the  county  interested 
in  agriculture  who  desire  to  promote  its  prosperity.  Usually  there 
should  be  at  least  one-fifth  the  farmers  in  its  membership. 

(Paying  in  a  dollar,  San  Diego  County  Farm  Bureau  meeting. 
Boys  of  the  agricultural  clubs  assisting.) 

percentage  of  these  could  be  viewed  from  the  same  standpoint  as  at 
the  experiment  farm,  the  benefits  would  enormously  outnumber  the 
records  achieved  by  the  experiment  stations.  It  is,  of  course,  im- 
possible to  gather  all  this  material  or  to  note  all  the  changing  con- 
ditions on  farms.  But  it  may  be  possible  to  gather  together  in  one 
county  organization  the  wide-awake  and  interested  farmers  who  will 
compare  their  results  with  those  of  others  and,  in  a  more  or  less 
scientific  way,  plan  out  experiments  and  demonstrations  on  their  own 
farms.     Such  is  a  farm  bureau. 


Fundamentally,  then,  a  farm  bureau  for  the  county  can  be  col- 
lectively a  sort  of  giant  experiment  station  with  several  hundred 
observers  who  hold  a  monthly  caucus  to  compare  results. 

The  farm  bureau  has  a  trained  man  to  aid  it : — The  Farm  Adviser. 
It  is  his  business  to  help  interpret  results,  to  point  out  new  lines  of 
work  and  to  deduce  conclusions  from  the  evidence  at  hand.  The  farm 
bureau  can  be  of  greater  value  to  the  county  than  the  farm  adviser. 
Together,  they  can  be  of  more  benefit  than  either  alone. 


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The  most  general  method  of  starting  a  county  farm  bureau  is  to  call 
a  big  meeting  which  is  advertised  in  every  way  possible. 

(San  Diego  County  Farm  Bureau.) 


Other  activities  may  concern  the  farm  bureau  besides  local  research 
into  agricultural  problems. 

The  farm  bureau  may  be  a  sort  of  rural  chamber  of  commerce  and 
thus  be  the  guardian  of  rural  affairs.  It  can  take  the  lead  in  agitation 
for  good  roads,  for  better  schools,  and  for  cheaper  methods  of  buying 
and  selling.  Perhaps,  most  of  all,  it  can  help  promote  the  social  insti- 
tutions  of  country  life.     Some   rural  neighbors   are  so  starved   for 


recreational  meetings  that  they  will  come  out  to  anything  from  a 
patent-medicine  show  to  a  school  meeting.  The  farm  bureau  can  help 
put  more  recreation  into  rural  life.  Every  country  neighborhood 
ought  to  have  some  social  gathering  at  least  once  a  week.  It  is  almost 
as  much  needed  as  the  spiritual  congregations  at  the  church,  or  the 
educational  assemblages  of  the  children  at  the  school-house. 

But  very  surely  and  insistently,  the  farm  bureau  is  not  first  and 
foremost  for  these — good  and  desirable  as  they  may  be.  Perhaps, 
the  farm  bureau  can  help  to  buy  cheaper  and  better  seeds,  can  help 
to  boost  the  local  socials,  can  encourage  the  faltering  school  teacher, 
can  get  out  and  talk  for  good  roads — but  its  first  and  surest  function 
is  to  increase  the  local  knowledge  of  agricultural  fact. 

THE   GENERAL  PLAN 

The  membership  of  the  farm  bureau  is  composed  of  those  persons 
in  the  county  interested  in  agriculture  who  desire  to  promote  its 
prosperity  through  the  formation  of  a  county  organization  to  which 
the}7,  pay  a  dollar  a  year  each.  Usually  a  successful  county  farm 
bureau  should  have  at  least  one-fifth  of  the  farmers  in  its  membership. 

The  whole  membership  of  the  farm  bureau  meets  together  but 
once  a  year  at  its  annual  meeting  in  the  fall.  At  that  time  the  general 
officers  are  elected, — president,  vice-president  and  four  directors  at 
large. 

For  practical  purposes,  the  county  organization  is  divided,  along 
geographical  lines,  into  ten  or  twelve  centers.  Each  center  that  has 
ten  or  more  members  elects  a  director  as  leader.  He  acts  as  chair- 
man of  the  meetings  and  represents  the  center  on  the  board  of  the 
farm  bureau. 

Thus,  if  there  are  ten  centers  in  the  county,  there  ultimately  may 
be  fourteen  directors  on  the  board: — four  at  large  and  one  from  each 
center. 

The  directors  usually  hold  a  meeting  once  a  month  when  reports 
are  heard  from  the  various  centers  and  the  general  plans  for  the 
movement  in  the  county  are  considered. 

The  officers  elect  a  secretary-treasurer  who  holds  the  funds  and 
keeps  the  records  of  the  farm  bureau. 

The  farm  bureau  is  financed  by  dues  of  a  dollar  a  year  which  its 
members  pay  into  the  organization.  The  expenses  of  the  bureau  are 
those  of  hiring  offices,  the  carrying  on  of  correspondence,  printing  of 
pamphlets,  etc.  Sometimes,  but  not  usually,  the  farm  bureau  pays 
the  expenses  of  the  directors  who  come  to  the  board  meetings  once  a 
month. 


THE  GENERAL  MEETING  ONCE  A  YEAR 

The  annual  meeting — at  which  the  election  of  officers  takes  place — 
is  held  in  the  fall,  usually  at  the  county-seat.  It  should  be  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  make  it  a  matter  of  considerable  local  interest  and  im- 
portance : — it  may  be  an  all-day  gathering  to  which  speakers  of  note 
are  invited ;  it  may  sometimes  take  the  form  of  a  large  public  banquet. 


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The  county  is  divided  into  ten  or  more  districts  called  "farm  bureau 
centers ' '  and  a  director  elected  to  represent  each  center.  The  board 
of  directors  holds  a  meeting  once  a  month  at  which  the  policies  of 
the  farm  bureau  are  determined. 

(Directors'  meeting,  San  Joaquin  County  Farm  Bureau.) 


or  of  a  country  picnic.  The  main  effort  is  to  have  present  a  large 
proportion  of  the  membership  of  the  entire  farm  bureau  in  order 
that  the  officers  elected  may  be  adequately  representative  and  that 
once  a  year  the  organization  may  realize  its  strength  and  its  large 
membership. 


THE  DIRECTORS'  MEETING  ONCE  A  MONTH 

The  directors  of  the  farm  bureau  meet  every  month, — usually  on 
a  Saturda}^ — at  the  farm  bureau  offices  or  at  the  farm  adviser's  offices. 
These  meetings  should  be  of  such  vital  interest  that  the  entire  board 
of  directors  will  be  present.  At  these  meetings  the  policy  of  the 
farm  bureau  should  be  determined,  committees  appointed,  reports 
heard  from  each  of  the  directors  representing  a  farm  bureau  center, 
and  a  general  consideration  given  to  the  plans  of  the  farm  adviser. 
The  meetings  may  or  may  not  be  open  to  the  public.  In  some  cases, 
it  has  been  thought  wise  to  have  the  directors,  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  morning  meeting,  lunch  together  at  a  local  hotel  or  restaurant 
in  order  that  there  may  be  some  social  phase  to  the  day's  proceedings. 


I  THE  LOCAL  MEETINGS  ONCE  A  MONTH 

The  farm  adviser,  by  appointment,  may  be  present  one  day  every 
month  in  each  center  of  the  farm  bureau.  Thus,  if  there  are  ten  or 
twelve  centers,  he  will  have  ten  or  twelve  definite  appointments  each 
month  for  his  local  work.  His  usual  method  is  to  come  at  once  to  the 
home  or  office  of  the  local  director  and  to  learn  from  him  those  who 
desire  to  have  the  farm  adviser  come  to  their  farms  on  that  day.  He 
then  spends  his  entire  day  going  about  the  neighborhood  seeing  those 
who  desire  his  services.  The  farm  adviser  never  goes  to  any  except 
those  who  so  request.  He  never  sets  his  foot  on  the  land  of  a  man 
who  does  not  want  him. 

Usually  the  farm  bureau  center  has  its  meeting  the  night  when  the 
farm  adviser  is  there.  These  meetings  may  be  open  to  the  public, 
but  should  be  serious  discussions  of  questions  pertinent  to  the  farm 
prosperity  of  the  neighborhood.  To  this  end,  it  is  proposed  that  some 
of  the  local  meetings  of  the  farm  bureau  centers  be  devoted  entirely 
to  a  study  of  some  one  phase  of  agricultural  practice.  If  lime  is  a 
pertinent  question  for  the  neighborhood,  why  not  have  the  farm  adviser 
explain  in  detail  all  the  forms  of  commercial  lime,  using  a  blackboard 
if  necessary  to  make  it  all  clear.  The  members  might  bring  notebooks 
and  write  down  such  points  as  they  cannot  remember.  Other  subjects 
such  as  "sprays  and  spraying,"  balanced  rations,"  and  "methods  of 
testing  seeds"  might  well  occupy  one  or  several  meetings  in  order 
to  cover  them  in  such  a  way  that  all  can  gain  a  true  comprehension  of 
the  subject.  It  will  take  real  old-fashioned  study  to  do  it.  But  that 
is  the  function  of  the  farm  bureau. 


Sometimes,  the  members  of  a  local  center  might  go  in  automobiles 
for  a  well-planned  day  to  see  demonstration  plots  that  showed  definite 
results,  to  look  at  a  well-built  barn  or  a  well-bred  herd.  Such  a 
trip  could  be  an  inspiration  as  well  as  a  source  of  more  knowledge. 
But  it  must  be  undertaken  with  a  serious  purpose  and  not  as  a  junket. 


The  farm  adviser  is  present  by  appointment  each  month  at  each  farm 
bureau  center.  He  spends  the  day  visiting  farms  to  which  he  is 
called,  and  at  night  may  hold  a  meeting  of  the  members. 

(Guinda  Farm  Bureau  Center,  Yolo  County.) 


Some  of  the  meetings  may  be  open  to  the  public  and  take  on  a 
more  distinctively  social  feature.  But  if,  as  often  happens,  the 
presence  of  others  hampers  freedom  of  discussion  and  a  real  promotion 
of  the  subject,  it  may  prove  better  to  discourage  the  attendance  of 
persons  not  members  of  the  bureau  and  to  hold  the  ' '  social  meetings ' ' 
at  other  times. 


THE  DEMONSTRATIONS  ON  SELECTED  FARMS 

In  order  to  further  promote  an  understanding  of  some  of  the 
methods  advanced  by  the  farm  adviser,  it  may  be  desirable  to  have 
demonstrations  of  these  located  on  scattered  farms  throughout  the 
county.  Usually,  these  demonstrations  are  placed  with  the  most  in- 
terested and  active  members  of  the  farm  bureau. 

If,  say,  the  farm  adviser  desires  to  locate  fifty  demonstrations 
through  the  county,  he  may  ask  each  of  the  directors  representing  a 
center  to  nominate  five  members  with  whom  demonstrations  may  be 
placed.  These  members  agree  to  undertake  the  management  of  one 
piece  of  land,  section  of  orchard,  or  group  of  animals  as  directed  by 
the  farm  adviser  in  order  to  demonstrate  some  fact  of  agricultural 
importance  to  the  neighborhood. 

Usually  farms  supplied  with  such  demonstrations  are  called 
"demonstration  farms"  and  the  owner  is  known  as  a  "demonstrator." 
Often  the  farm  bureau  supplies  signs  to  be  placed  on  the  gate-post, 
or  a  road-side  tree  on  the  farm  where  such  a  demonstration  is  located. 
These  signs  read  "Demonstrator, County  Farm  Bureau."' 


HOW  TO  FORM  A  FARM  BUREAU 

The  movement  for  a  farm  bureau  usually  starts  from  some  inter- 
ested  persons  in  the  county  who  feel  it  desirable  to  have  such  an 
organization  to  further  its  agricultural  interests. 

The  College  of  Agriculture  of  the  University  of  California  does  not 
take  the  initiative  in  forming  farm  bureaus,  although  it  is  willing  to 
co-operate  and  furnish  any  possible  assistance  when  so  requested.  The 
farm  bureau  is  an  organization  of  the  people  of  the  county  and  as  such 
the  initiative  should  originate  with  them. 

Often  it  is  the  chamber  of  commerce  that  makes  the  start  to  call 
the  matter  to  the  attention  of  the  people.  Sometimes  it  is  a  small 
farmers'  club,  grange  or  farmers'  union  that  issues  the  call  for  a. 
county-wide  organization.  However  the  matter  begins,  the  funda- 
mental point  is  that  it  shall  be  a  voluntary  organization  of  farm  people 
who  realize  the  need  for  such  a  gathering  of  the  rural  forces  of  the 
county. 

There  have  been  two  methods  used  to  organize  farm  bureaus  in 
this  state. 

The  most  general  method  has  been  to  call  a  big  meeting  which  is 
advertised  in   every  way  possible.     Usually  the  invitations  are  sent. 


out  by  a  self-appointed  committee  who  try  to  arouse  all  the  people 
of  the  county.  Sometimes  these  send  out  post-cards  to  every  farmer 
in  the  county,  getting  the  list  from  the  office  of  the  county  tax 
assessor,  or  some  other  public  place  of  record.  Usually  the  meeting 
is  held  in  some  big  hall  or  on  a  picnic  ground;  sometimes  there  is  a 
brass  band  and  social  features  to  the  occasion.     Almost  always  it  is 


The  farm  adviser  works  with  the  director  of  the  farm  bureau  center, 
who  makes  engagements  for  him  and  often  accompanies  him  on 
his  rounds. 

(Farm  Adviser,  a  director,  and  a  member,  San  Diego  Farm  Bureau.) 


an  all-day  meeting.  If  requested,  speakers  are  sent  from  the  College 
of  Agriculture.  At  this  meeting  the  constitution  and  by-laws  are 
adopted;  the  members  pay  in  a  dollar  each  as  their  first  year's  dues; 
and  a  president,  vice-president  and  four  directors  at  large  are  elected. 
At  some  later  time,  these  officers,  meeting  together,  divide  the  county 
into  ten  or  twelve  geographical  districts.  The  members  of  the  county 
farm  bureau  living  in  each  district  may  form  themselves  into  a  farm 
bureau  center  and  elect  a  director  to  represent  them  on  the  board 
of  the  farm  bureau.  This  method  has  been  that  most  generally  used 
and  may.  in  most  cases,  prove  most  successful.  It  starts  the  organi- 
zation off  with  a  big  day  and  calls  it  to  the  attention  of  all  the  people. 
The  other  method  is  the  opposite  of  this.  A  committee  of  interested 
persons,  or  a  chamber  of  commerce,  or  a  board  of  trade,  holds  small 


10 

meetings  in  different  sections  of  the  county  that  might  become  farm 
bureau  centers.  At  these  meetings  those  present,  if  they  so  desire, 
join  the  farm  bureau,  pay  in  one  dollar,  and  afterward  elect  a  director 
to  serve  on  the  board  of  the  farm  bureau.  After  the  ten  or  twelve 
centers  have  been  formed,  the  directors  so  elected  meet  together  and 
call  a  general  meeting  at  which  a  constitution  and  by-laws  are  adopted 
and  a  president,  vice-president  and  four  directors  at  large  are  elected. 
This  method  has  been  used  in  counties  where  the  farmers  did  not  have 
sufficient  primary  interest  to  come  together  at  a  large  farm  bureau 
meeting,  or  where  the  people  of  the  county  were  so  scattered  as  to 
make  it  difficult  to  bring  them  together  at  any  one  place. 

Two  published  accounts  follow  of  meetings  to  organize  farm 
bureaus  which  were  highly  successful  in  gathering  together  a  great 
number  of  people  from  the  county.  The  first  is  that  of  the  San  Diego 
County  farm  bureau  meeting  held  in  San  Diego  on  February  20,  1914. 
The  second  is  that  of  the  farm  bureau  of  Yolo  County  held  as  a  picnic 
at  the  village  of  Yolo  on  March  7,  1914. 


FARMERS  OF  SAN  DIEGO  COUNTY  UNITE  UNDER  FLAG  OF  PROGRESS 
(Reprinted  from  San  Diego  Union,  February  21,  1914) 

Before  a  thousand  as  intensely  interested  persons  as  have  sat  in  an  assem- 
blage of  that  size  in  this  city  in  many  a  long  day,  the  San  Diego  Farm  Bureau 
was  organized  yesterday  morning  in  the  Spreckels  Theatre  with  a  paid-up 
membership  of  383.  When  all  the  names  are  in  and  funds  received,  at  a 
conservative   estimate,   it   will   exceed   that   figure  by   several   hundred. 

This  is  beyond  comparison  the  biggest  piece  of  agricultural  business  that 
has  ever  been  put  through  in  San  Diego  County.  It  means  that  the  farmers 
scattered  over  miles  of  territory  have  at  last  united  under  one  banner,  that 
the  farming  industry  has  taken  unto  itself  a  backbone,  and  that  from  now 
on  the  progress  of  one  will  in  a  large  measure  mean  the  progress  of  all. 

Within  a  few  weeks  the  bureau  will  have  its  own  agricultural  adviser,  a 
highly  trained  and  scientific  and  practical  man,  whose  whole  time  will  be 
devoted,  by  man-to-man  advice  and  assistance,  to  increasing  the  productivity 
of  the  farms  and  the  profits  of  the  farmer.  The  adviser  will  be,  as  Professor 
Crocheron  put  it  in  his  speech,  no  less  than  the  "trustee  of  the  agricultural 
prosperity  of  this  community." 

In  taking  this  step  and  by  their  enthusiasm  and  demonstration  of  practical 
interest  making  it  possible  for  the  government  to  give  them  an  adviser,  the 
San  Diego  County  farmers  have  leaped  into  the  front  rank  of  agricultural 
progressiveness  in  the  country. 

The  new  organization  was  launched  into  being  with  Judge  W.  R.  Andrews, 
as  president;  George  P.  Hall,  vice-president,  and  H.  Culbertson,  T.  H.  Slingsby 
of  Mission  Valley,  H.  H.  Bawden  of  the  Little  Landers  colony  at  San  Ysidro, 


11 

and    W.    E.    Alexander    of    Escondido,    as    directors-at-large.      A    secretary    and 
treasurer  will  be  elected  at  the  first  meeting  of  officers. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  enthusiasm,  the  noisy,  the  frivolous,  the  emotional, 
the  highly  amused.  Then  there  is  the  tense,  impatient,  somewhat  scrappy 
kind  that  people  display  when  vital  issues  are  at  stake,  where  there  is  big 
business  to  be  done.  And  this  last  is  the  kind  with  which  the  atmosphere 
in  the  Spreckels  Theatre  in  the  morning  and  tne  Savoy  Theatre  in  the  after- 
noon vibrated. 


i. 


*  s.  ;  *  » 


-i.Jr„         J*t rfftr  rTTn.—  "mamtr  V**  7  -  ******  'mm—  i'*r-j«Mfe«wj^«# 


v  "^"'•Vi.'" 


The  farm  adviser  may  locate  demonstrations  on  farms  throughout  the 
county.  The  farm  bureau  supplies  signs  to  be  placed  on  the  gate- 
post or  roadside  tree  of  the  farm  where  such  a  demonstration  is 
located. 

(Humboldt  County  Farm  Bureau.) 


Men  had  traveled  far  to  attend  this  meeting  that  meant  so  much  to  them 
and  their  destinies,  in  the  face  of  unfavorable  conditions  and  inclement 
weather.  Many  had  left  their  little  farms  and  large  families  at  a  time  when 
they  could  ill  afford  to  do  so.  Others,  unable  to  leave  their  families  at  home 
and  determined  not  to  be  foiled  in  their  wish  to  make  history,  had  brought 
their  families  with  them. 

An  inspiring  gathering  they  made,  these  farmers.  Every  type  was  there, 
from    the    modern,    prosperous    agriculturist,    he    of    the    great    crops,    modern 


12 

methods  and  automobiles,  to  the  simple  man  of  all  times  and  countries,  who 
with  his  devoted  wife  in  centuries  gone  by  rocked  the  cradle  that  contained 
the  destinies  of  a  great  nation. 

Fathers  and  sons  and  grandsons  came  together,  and  a  few  mothers  with 
rosy,  eager,  excited  children.  There  was  a  sweet-faced  farm  woman  there 
with  her  blind  husband,  and  the  gentle  solicitude  with  which  she  led  him  to 
his  seat  and  perfect  understanding  with  which  they  made  one  pair  of  eyes 
do  work  for  two  was  a  revelation  and  a  blessing. 

But  with  all  the  novelty  of  the  experience  to  many  of  those  present,  the 
prevailing  note  of  the  meeting  from  start  to  finish  was  business. 

The  audience  began  filing  into  the  big  theatre  shortly  before  ten  o  'clock, 
but  it  was  after  half  past  ten  before  the  meeting  was  called  to  order.  Mean- 
while, the  band  from  the  Industrial  Fair  struck  up  ' '  I  Love  You,  California, ' 7 
and  followed  it  with  two  or  three  popular  tunes. 

When  the  speakers,  Dean  Thomas  F.  Hunt  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  of 
the  University  of  California;  Dean  H.  E.  Van  Norman  of  the  University 
Farm  School  at  Davis  and  president  of  the  National  Dairy  Association;  B.  H. 
Crocheron,  state  leader  in  the  Office  of  Farm  Management;  Dr.  H.  J.  Webber, 
Director  of  tne  Riverside  Experiment  station,  and  O.  H.  Benson,  head  of  the 
boys '  and  girls '  agricultural  club  work,  had  arrived,  Carl  H.  Heilbron,  vice- 
president  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  opened  the  meeting  with  a  few  words 
of  welcome  to  the  farmers  and  guests. 

Mayor  Charles  F.  O  'Neall,  the  first  speaker,  was  introduced  by  Mr.  Heil- 
bron, as  a  "boy  from  the  farm."  The  mayor  spoke  most  earnestly  of  the 
purpose  for  which  his  hearers  gathered  and  of  its  far-reaching  effects  in  other 
localities.     . 

The  business  session  really  began  when  E.  C.  Allen,  acting  chairman,  called 
upon  Professor  Crocheron  to  read  the  constitution  adopted  by  the  farm  bureau 
of  Humboldt  County.  This  constitution,  with  a  few  proposed  minor  changes 
left  open  for  final  settlement  by  the  directors-at-large,  was  finally  adopted. 
During  all  the  subsequent  proceedings  of  the  day  H.  A.  Weinland,  county 
horticultural  commissioner,  acted  as  temporary  secretary.     .     .     . 

To  the  delight  of  every  one,  the  $2000  cow  from  Walter  Dupee  's  dairy  at 
Santee,  after  many  vicissitudes  en  route,  finally  arrived  in  good  condition. 
A  magnificent  specimen  of  the  pure-bred  Guernsey,  the  animal  walked  on  the 
stage  with  most  creditable  calmness  and  surveyed  the  audience  over  the  foot- 
lights with  as  much  composure,  though  not  perhaps  the  same  satisfaction,  that 
she  might  be  fed  in  her  own  home  stall.     .     .     . 

When  the  point  of  who  should  have  a  vote  in  the  election  of  officers  arose 
it  was  decided  that  all  those  who  had  not  enrolled  and  paid  their  dollar  should 
step  upon  the  platform  and  do  so.  Three  hundred  and  eighty-four  dollars 
were  taken  in  in  a  very  few  minutes  and  then  the  voting  went  forward. 
Ballots  were  distributed  and  to  avoid  possible  "ringers"  each  voter  was 
asked  to  sign  his  name  and  the  locality  which  he  represented.     .     .     . 

While  the  ballots  were  being  counted  Mr.  Benson  gave  a  most  interesting 
address,  illustrated  by  colored  lantern  slides,  for  the  particular  benefit  of 
the  boys  of  the  various  agricultural  clubs  of  the  county  high  schools  who 
were  there  with  a  good  delegation.     .     .     . 


13 


THE  FARMERS '  DAY  AT  YOLO 

(From  The  University  of  California  Journal  of  Agriculture, 
by  Paul  I.  Dougherty,   '14) 

Across  the  warm  green  plains,  past  the  blossoming  almond  orchards  and 
the  gray  olive  trees,  fifteen  hundred  country  people  came  to  the  little  town 
of  Yolo  to  organize  the  Yolo  Farm  Bureau  and  to  picnic  through  the  pleasant 
March  day.  The  bent,  gray  couple  meeting  one  more  spring  together,  the 
sun-tanned  farmer  and  his  wife,  the  bright-eyed  children  bubbling  over  with 
outdoor  life  and  spirits,  all  were  glad  to  leave  the  farms  a  little  while  and 
spend  the  holiday  together. 

The  last  train  carrying  besides  the  farmers  a  handful  of  happy  students, 
came  in  at  eleven,  and  the  gay  procession,  headed  by  the  Winter 's  Brass 
Band,  marcned  up  the  grass-bordered  road  to  the  town  hall.  The  moving 
picture  camera  and  the  care  free  '  'Bossy-Cow-Cow"  yell  of  the  students 
added  a  touch  of  the  outer  world,  perhaps  not  entirely  unwelcome  to  the 
quiet  crowd. 


Often  the  farm  bureau  becomes  so  active  and  effective  that  offices  at 
the  county  seat  are  desirable. 

(Humboldt  County  Farm  Bureau.) 


14 

The  little  hall,  set  close  to  the  white  orchards,  was  soon  crowded  to  the 
doors.  The  State  Leader  in  the  Office  of  Farm  Management  spoke  of  the 
Farm  Adviser's  work  and  of  his  opportunity.  He  told  how  hundreds  of  such 
trained  "Farm  Doctors"  had  come  at  the  request  of  the  farmers  to  as  many 
counties  in  the  nation,  connecting  every  ranch  with  the  University  experiment 
stations  and  the  federal  department  of  agriculture.  He  suggested  that  the 
Farm  Advisers'  work  was  not  alone  to  promote  better  crops,  but  also  to  help 
country  people  to  work  together,  and  to  live  more  interesting  and  broader 
lives.  The  Head  of  the  Soil  Survey  told  how  the  soils  of  the  Sacramento 
Valley  have  been  mapped  and  the  value  of  such  knowledge  in  crop  adaptations. 
Then,  outside,  near  the  country  school,  the  Dean  of  the  University  Farm  spoke 
of  the  need  of  cattle  in  premanent  agriculture  and  showed  what  points  to 
look  for  in  a  dairy  cow  and  explained  the  relation  of  each  to  production 
and  profit. 

The  crowd  spread  their  dinners  out  in  the  tall  green  grass  in  a  neighboring 
field.  The  high-stacked  platters  of  fried  chicken  and  the  numberless  cakes,  as 
seen  at  every  farmers'  picnic,  put  yet  another  aspect  on  country  living  for 
the  passing  student,  and  he  pictured  in  his  mind  the  day  when  he,  too,  should 
have  such  a  place  in  his  community. 

After  this  hour  in  the  warm  noon  sun,  various  farmers  spoke,  county  issues, 
such  as  state  highway  bonds,  were  discussed,  the  band  played,  the  Woodland 
Quartet  sang  and  a  happy  holiday  spirit  prevailed.  Yet  beneath  it  all  rang  the 
motto  of  the  meeting  "Knowledge  +  Economy  =  Efficiency, "  and  the  outcome 
of  the  day  was  the  organization  of  the  Yolo  Farm  Bureau,  with  its  object 
"to  assist  the  Farm  Adviser  in  his  work  in  the  county  and  to  aid  him  in  the 
development  of  agriculture,  and  such  allied  industries  as  may  properly  come 
within  his  province,  including  betterment  of  social,  home,  school,  and  church 
conditions  in  the  county. ' ' 

After  the  serious  work  of  the  day,  in  the  late  afternoon,  the  benches  were 
cleared  from  the  hall  and  the  band  played  waltzes  and  two  steps,  and  the 
young  people  had  their  hour,  until  the  sun  sank  behind  the  blue  Coast  Range. 
Then  in  the  early  dusk  the  crowd  scattered,  each  family  to  its  own  little 
homestead  out  in  the  wide  darkening  valley. 

So,  in  the  California  spring  time,  when  the  almond  petals  were  drifting 
softly  down,  the  Yolo  Farm  Bureau  was  formed  and  one  more  step  taken 
in  Yolo  County  towards  a  fuller  and  richer  country  life. 


The  following  constitution  and  by-laws  (Re-print,  with  some  cor- 
rections, from  Circular  112  on  The  County  Farm  Adviser)  is  that 
which  has  been  adopted  in  farm  bureaus  of  the  state. 

CONSTITUTION  AND  BY-LAWS  FOR  THE 

COUNTY  FARM  BUREAU 


Preamble. — In  order  to  further  and  promote  the  agricultural  interests  of 
this  county  and  all  its  enterprises  dependent  upon  agriculture,  we,  the  under- 
signed, do  hereby  form  a  permanent  organization  under  the  following  constitu- 
tion and  bv-laws. 


15 

Article  I.  Name. — The  name  of  this  organization  shall  be  the  

County  Farm  Bureau. 

Article  II.  Object. — The  object  of  this  organization  shall  be  to  assist 
the  Farm  Adviser  in  his  work  in  the  county  and  to  aid  him  in  the  develop- 
ment of  agriculture  and  such  allied  industries  as  may  properly  come  within 
his  province,  including  the  betterment  of  social,  home,  school,  and  church 
conditions  in  the  county. 


The  annual  farm  bureau  meeting  may  take  the  form  of  a  county  picnic. 

(Special  train  arriving  at  Yolo  County  Farm  Bureau  picnic.) 


Article  III.  Membership. — Any   person   resident   of   County 

or  an  owner  of  iarm  land  in  the  county,  interested  and  willing  to  aid  in  the 
development  of  the  agriculture  of  the  county,  may  become  a  member  of  this 
bureau  by  agreeing  to  this  constitution  and  paying  an  annual  membership  fee 
of  one  dollar  and  such  other  dues  as  may  be  regularly  assessed. 

Article  IV.  Officers  and  Duties. — Section  1. — The   administration   of  the 

affairs   of   the   County   Farm   Bureau    shall   be    vested   in   the 

following  officers:  a  president,  a  vice-president,  a  secretary-treasurer,  four 
directors  at  large,  and  one  director  to  be  elected  as  hereinafter  provided,  from 
each  of  ten  farm  bureau  centers  scattered  through  the  county. 


16 

Section  2. — Tne  directors  at  large  shall  be  elected  by  the  whole  bureau, 
not  more  than  one  coming  from  one  center.  Each  center  director  shall  be 
elected  by  the  members  of  the  bureau  living  in  the  center  concerned.  The 
secretary-treasurer  shall  be  elected  by  the  officers. 

Section  3. — The  term  of  office  of  all  officers  shall  be  one  year. 

Section  4. — All  the  officers  excepting  the  secretary-treasurer  shall  be  elected 
at  the  regular  annual  meeting. 

Section  5. — At  all  elections  a  majority  of  votes  east  shall  be  necessary  to 
elect.     Vote  shall  be  by  ballot. 

Section  6. — Each  officer  shall  be  entitled  to  one  vote. 

Section  7. — The  president  shall  preside  at  all  the  meetings  of  the  officers 
or  of  the  bureau,  appoint  all  standing  committees  and  perform  all  other  duties 
not   otherwise  provided  for. 

Section  8. — The  vice-president  shall  perform  the  duties  of  the  president  in 
his  absence. 

Section  9. — The  secretary-treasurer  shall  keep  a 'record  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  bureau,  receive  the  membership  fees  and  assessments,  have  custody  of 
all  funds  of  the  bureau,  and  shall  make  a  full  report  at  each  annual  meeting, 
or  at  such  time  as  the  bureau  may  direct.  He  shall  pay  out  money  only  on 
orders  signed  by  the  president  and  countersigned  by  himself. 

Article  V.  Vacancies. — The  officers  shall  have  power  to  fill  all  vacancies. 

Article  VI.  Meetings. — Section  1. — The  bureau  shall  hold  a  regular  annual 
meeting  during  the  early  fall,  the  date  and  place  to  be  set  by  the  officers  and 
announced  at  least  two  weeks  prior  to  the  time  of  meeting.    " 

Section  2. — The  officers  shall  hold  a  regular  monthly  meeting  at  the  office 
of  the  Farm  Auviser;  or  (Section  2)  the  officers  shall  meet  on  call  of  the 
president. 

Section  3. — It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  president  to  call  special  meetings  of 
the  bureau  at  the  request  of  a  majority  of  the  officers,  and  notice  of  same 
must  be  given  in  advance. 

Article  VII.  Committees. — The  committees  to  be  appointed  shall  be  made 
up  of  persons  suggested  by  the  Farm  Adviser  and  approved  by  the  officers.  The 
number  of  committees  and  number  of  persons  on  each  committee  to  be  regu- 
lated by  the  nature  and  character  of  the  work  to  be  done.  Committeemen 
shall  serve  for  a  term  of  one  year,  or  for  the  length  of  time  specified  at  the 
time  of  their  appointment.  Their  duties  shall  be  outlined  at  the  time  of  their 
appointment. 

Article  VIII.  Order  of  Business. — The  following  shall  be  the  order  of 
business  at  all  the  regular  meetings  of  the  bureau  and  officers: 


17 

1.  Call  to  order  by  the  president. 

2.  Eeading  of  the  minutes  of  the  last  meeting. 

3.  Eeport  of  committees. 

4.  Unfinished   business. 

5.  Communications  from  State  Leader  or  Farm   Adviser. 

6.  Keports  of  officers. 

7.  New  business. 

8.  Adjournment. 

Article  IX.  Amendment. — This  constitution  may  be  amended  by  a  two- 
thirds  vote  of  the  members  present  at  any  regular  or  special  meeting.  Notice 
of  such  amendment  must  be  given  at  least  two  weeks  in  advance. 

Article  X.  Enacting  Clause. — Section  1. — This  constitution  shall  be  in 
effect  on  and  after  its  adoption. 

Section  2. — All  officers  elected  at  the  time  of  this  constitution  is  adopted 
shall  hold  office  only  until  next  annual  meeting. 


Speakers  are  sent  from  the  College  of  Agriculture  to  help  make  the 
annual  farm  bureau  meeting  the  biggest  rural  event  of  the  year. 

(Yolo  County  Farm  Bureau.) 


18 


BY-LAWS 

No.  1. — A  member  shall  be  considered  to  have  been  properly  notified  of  any 
proposed  action  of  the  bureau  by  its  officers  whenever  such  notice  shall  have 
been  mailed  to  each  member  or  published  in  two  issues  of  such  county  papers 
as  may  be  designated  by  the  officers. 

No.  2. — "Whenever  a  farm  bureau  center  shall  organize,  with  a  minimum 
of  ten  charter  members,  then  such  center  shall  be  entitled  to  a  center  director. 

No.  3. — Whenever  any  center  shall  attain  a  membership  in  the  bureau, 
which  shall  entitle  it  to  a  director,  the  center  concerned  may  immediately 
elect  such  director,  who  shall  hold  office  until  the  next  annual  meeting. 

No.  4. — An  organized  center  shall  be  entitled  to  a  center  bureau  head- 
quarters, at  which,  if  requested,  the  Farm  Adviser  shall  be  present  on  the 
regular  schedule  at  least  once  a  month,  weather  and  other  conditions  per- 
mitting. At  such  time  it  will  be  the  object  of  the  Farm  Adviser  to  meet 
members  of  the  bureaus  and  others,  and  to  furnish  such  aid  as  may  be  re- 
quested. 

No.  5. — The  director  for  each  organized  center  will  have  charge  of  the 
local  headquarters  of  the  bureau  and  will  make  such  arrangements  for  the 
Farm  Adviser  while  there  as  will  best  conserve  the  time  of  the  adviser  and 
serve  the  interests  of  the  county. 


STATION    PUBLICATIONS    AVAILABLE    FOR    DISTRIBUTION 


Appendix  to   Viticultural 


REPORTS 

1897.      Resistant  Vines,   their  Selection,   Adaptation,   and  Grafting. 
Report  for  1896. 

1902.  Report  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment   Station  for   1898-1901. 

1903.  Report   of   the   Agricultural   Experiment   Station   for   1901-03. 

1904.  Twenty-second  Report  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment   Station  for   1903-04. 


BULLETINS 


No. 

168. 

169. 

170. 
171. 

174. 
177. 

178. 
179. 
182. 

183. 
184. 

185. 

187. 
189. 
192. 

194. 

195. 
197. 


198. 
201. 


Observations  on  Some  Vine  Diseases 
in   Sonoma  County. 

Tolerance  of  the  Sugar  Beet  for 
Alkali. 

Studies  in  Grasshopper  Control. 

Commercial  Fertilizers.  (June,  30, 
1905.) 

A  New  Wine-Cooling  Machine. 

A  New  Method  of  Making  Dry  Red 
Wine. 

Mosquito  Control. 

Commercial  Fertilizers.    (June,  1906.) 

Analysis  of  Paris  Green  and  Lead 
Arsenic.    Proposed  Insecticide  Law. 

The   California   Tussock-moth. 

Report  of  the  Plant  Pathologist  to 
July   1,    1906. 

Report  of  Progress  in  Cereal  Investi- 
gations. 

Commercial  Fertilizers.     (Jan.,  1907.) 

Commercial  Fertilizers.    (June,  1907.) 

Insects  Injurious  to  the  Vine  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

Commercial.Fertilizers      (Dec,  1907.) 

The  California  Grape  Root-worm. 

Grape  Culture  in  California ;  Im- 
proved Methods  of  Wine-making; 
Yeast  from   California   Grapes. 

The  Grape  Leaf-Hopper. 

Commercial  Fertilizers.    (June,  1908.) 


No. 
202. 


204. 

206. 
207. 
208. 
211. 

212. 
213. 
215. 


220. 

224. 
225. 
227. 
230. 
234. 

240. 
241. 
242. 
243. 

244. 


Commercial  Fertilizers.     (Dec,  1908.) 
Report    of    the    Plant    Pathologist    to 

July   1,    1909. 
The    Dairy    Cow's    Record    and    the 

Stable. 
Commercial  Fertilizers.    (June,  1910.) 
The  Control  of  the  Argentine  Ant. 
The  Late  Blight  of  Celery. 
How  to  Increase  the  Yield  of  Wheat 

in   California. 
California  White  Wheats. 
The   Principles   of  Wine-makina'. 
The    House    Fly    in     its     Relation    to 

Public   Health. 
A    Progress    Report    upon    Soil    and 
Climatic      Factors      Influencing     the 

Composition  of  Wheat. 
Fumigration    Studies    No.    5;    Dosage 

Tables. 
The  Production  of  the  Lima  Bea^. 
Tolerance  of  Eucalyptus  for  Alkali. 
Grape  Vinegar. 
Enological    Investigations. 
Red     Spiders     and    Mites    of    Citrus 

Trees. 
Commercial   Fertilizers. 
Vine  Pruning  in  California. 
Humus   in   California   Soils. 
The     Intradermal     Test     for    Tuber- 
culosis in  Cattle  and  Hogs. 
Utilization   of  Waste   Oranges. 


CIRCULARS 


No.  No. 

29.   Preliminary   Announcement    Concern-  70. 
ing    Instruction    in    Practical    Agri- 
culture upon  the  University   Farm,  74. 
Davis.   Cal.  75. 

46.    Suggestions  for  Garden  Work  in  Cali-  76. 

fornia  Schools.  77. 

52.   Information  for  Students  Concerning  78. 
the   College  of  Agriculture. 

61.  University  Farm  School.  79. 

62.  The   School   Garden   in   the  Course   of  80. 

Study.  .  82. 

65.  The   California   Insecticide   Law. 

66.  Insecticides   and   Insect   Control.  83. 

68.  The  Prevention   of  Hog  Cholera.  84. 

69.  The  Extermination  of  Morning-Glory.  87. 


Observation    of    the    Status    of    Corn 

Growing   in    California. 
Rice. 

A  New  Leakage  Gauge. 
Hot   Room   Callusing. 
University   Farm    School. 
Announcement     of     Farmers'      Short 

Courses  for  1912. 
List   of   Insecticide  Dealers. 
Boys'  and  Girls'  Clubs. 
The    Common     Ground     Squirrels    of 

California. 
Potato  Growing  Clubs. 
Mushrooms   and  Toadstools. 
Alfalfa. 


CIRCULARS—  (Continued) 


No. 

88.  Advantages   to   the    Breeder   in    Test- 

ing   his    Pure-bred    Cows    for    the 
Register  of  Merit. 

89.  Hog  Cholera  and  its  Prevention. 

90.  Tuberculosis  in  Cattle  and  Hogs. 

91.  Disinfection  on  the  Farm. 

92.  Infectious   Abortion    and   Sterility    in 

Cows. 
98.   Plowing     and     Cultivating     Soils     in 
California. 

100.  Pruning  Frosted  Citrus  Trees. 

101.  Codling  Moth   Control    in   the    Sacra- 

mento Valley. 

102.  The  Woolly  Aphis. 

106.   Directions  for  using  Anti-Hog-Cholera 
Serum. 


No. 

107.  Spraying    Walnut    Trees    for    Blight 

and  Aphis  Control. 

108.  Grape  Juice. 

109.  Community  or  Local  Extension  Work 

by    the    High    School    Agricultural 
Department. 

110.  Green  Manuring  in   California. 

111.  The    Use    of    Lime    and    Gypsum    on 

California   Soils. 

112.  The  County   Farm   Advisor. 

113.  Announcement    of    Correspondence 

Courses  in  Agriculture. 

114.  Increasing  the  Duty  of  Water. 

115.  Grafting  Vinifera  Vineyards. 

116.  Silk  Worm  Experiments. 

117.  The    Selection    and    Cost    of    a    Small 

Pumping  Plant. 


